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5. The Republic of Texas: Part B (1840-1843)

Selected Texas History Primary Source Documents

Suggestion: One might also find it useful to consult the list of documents and collections of documents at List 2, "Texas in the Nineteenth Century: General."

George P. Garrison, ed. The Diplomatic Correspondence of the Republic of Texas. Vol. II, Part 1 of the Annual Report of the American Historical Association, 1907 (1908). The documents in this volume are correspondence with the United States. The inclusive dates are December 7, 1835 to December 30, 1842. Almost all of the documents listed in the Table of Contents are linked to the documents themselves. [As of 6-27-2007, only Part 1 had been scanned. Also, the last two documents in the volume were not scanned, and the third document from the end was only partially scanned.] Link to document

"Correspondence from the British Archives Concerning Texas, 1837-1846." In this series, which was published in The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, there are many letters pertaining to the period covered by this list. The correspondence is mainly from British diplomats in Texas (and occasionally elsewhere) to officials in the British Foreign Office in London. They shed light on political, social, and economic conditions in the Republic of Texas and deal with various diplomatic issues, , including Texan-Mexican relations, and the issue of Texas annexation to the U.S. Click on this link for an introduction to the entire series of correspondence. Following are links to the correspondence.Link to correspondence dated June 23, 1840-April 20, 1842. [Scroll down for these documents.]Link to correspondence dated May 24-November 2, 1842.Link to correspondence dated November 3-December 28, 1842.Link to correspondence dated December 31, 1842-April 14, 1843.Link to correspondence dated April 25-May 13, 1843.Link to correspondence dated June 9-10, 1843.Link to correspondence dated May 27-July 30, 1843.Link to correspondence dated August 6-September 6, 1843.Link to correspondence dated September 18-October 11, 1843.Link to correspondence dated October 31-November 29, 1843.Link to correspondence dated December 2-31, 1843.

Anson Jones. Memoranda and Official Correspondence Relating to the Republic of Texas, Its History and Annexation. 1859.Consists of an autobiography (written in 1849), a series of memoranda relating to events, 1838-1854, in which Jones played a part (written in the 1850s), and an extensive collection of correspondence to and from Jones, covering the period 1836-1857. Some of the correspondence and other material deal with Jones' service during the period covered by this section both as a member of the Texas Congress and as secretary of state of the Republic. Link to document

William Banta. Description of life in eastern Texas in the early 1840s. [Excerpt from his Twenty-seven Years on the Texas Frontier, written sometime after the period he describes.] Link to document

C. Wilkins Eimi, "The Shot in the Eye: A True Story of Texas Border Life." [Written no later than 1845.] Incidents from the Regulator-Moderator War in northeastern Texas, which took place between 1839 and 1844. Author claims to have had personal knowledge of most of what he recounts. Seems impossible to date the incidents described. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document.

Texan Land and Emigration Board. Statement of purpose, [1840?]. A brief pamphlet, issued by a British organization. States that it proposes to encourage the abolition of slavery in the Republic of Texas by recruiting free laborers from Europe to settle there. Includes locations planned for the settlements. Link to document

Henry W. Karnes to Albert Sidney Johnston, January 10, 1840. Author, a Texas Ranger, reports to the Texan secretary of war that three Indians had just been in San Antonio, asking for peace negotiations. Karnes was wary yet asked that Comanche chiefs and warriors come to San Antonio for that purpose. This sets up the Council House Fight. Link to document

Jose Antonio Navarro to "Dear Sir," January 29, 1840. [Recipient not given, although it may have been Mirabeau B. Lamar, as it comes from Lamar's papers.] Navarro, a San Antonio resident, writes from there of rumors of a coming invasion of Texas by Mexican troops. Thinks that it may be somewhat later and may be a raid as far as San Antonio to obtain loot. Link to document

Juan A. Seguin. Address to the Senate of the Congress of the Republic of Texas, February, 1840. Prominent Tejano political leader urges the need to translate the laws of the Republic into Spanish so that Tejanos could read and understand them. Link to document

Texas. Congress. An Act to Provide for the Redemption of the Promisory Notes of its Government Now in Circulation, and for Funding Other Liabilities of the Government. Adopted February 5, 1840. [The Internet collection of which this document is a part is the University of Michigan's "Making of America" website.] [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document

Mirabeau B. Lamar. Proclamation abolishing all duties on wines imported directly from France, February 11, 1840. See also Sam Houston's proclamation revoking this proclamation, December 21, 1842. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document

James Treat to Mirabeau B. Lamar, February 15, 1840. Texan diplomatic agent writes a long report to the president of Texas about the status of his efforts, supported by the British minister, to negotiate a treaty of peace with Mexico (including recognition of Texan independence). Notes various difficulties, including internal political problems. States that, while the outlook for success seems unfavorable, he still has hopes. Link to document

Hugh McLeod. Report of the Council House Fight, [March 19, 1840]. Incident in San Antonio in which fighting broke out between Comanches and local army troops during a meeting to discuss a treaty of peace. Author was adjutant and inspector general of the army of the Republic of Texas. Link to document

James Wilson Nichols. Account of the Council House Fight, [March 19, 1840]. Written many years later. Author was a participant. Link to document

Mary A. Maverick. Description of the Council House Fight, [March 19, 1840]. The author was a resident of San Antonio at the time the incident occurred. Written in 1896. Link to document

Mirabeau B. Lamar. Message to the people of Santa Fe, April 14, 1840. The president of Texas outlines benefits to New Mexicans of being a part of the Republic of Texas. Link to document

Abner Lipscomb to James Treat, May 7, 1840. [Probably an excerpt.] Texan secretary of state informs Treat, a diplomatic agent charged with trying to persuade Mexico to recognize Texan independence, that, should his efforts fail, he is to give the British minister to Mexico certain assurances with respect to any offensive actions by Texan military forces. Details. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document

Mirabeau B. Lamar to citizens of Galveston, Texas, June 2, 1840. [Excerpt] The president of Texas comments negatively on the condition of the government when he assumed the presidency in late 1838 and mentions his goals at that time (and beyond) to deal with the situation. [Scroll down to the paragraph beginning, "This picture of conditions . . . ." and to the sentence beginning, "'When I came into office . . . . '"] Link to document

Abner Lipscomb to James Treat, June 13, 1840. [Excerpt] The Texan secretary of state instructs Treat to inform the Mexican government that Texas may well decide to begin military hostilities against Mexico. Explains why. [Scroll down to the paragraph beginning, "With Moore went a letter . . . ." and to the sentence beginning, "It would perhaps . . . ."] Link to document

Jose A. Navarro to Mirabeau B. Lamar, June 29, 1840. San Antonio resident informs the Texan president that he believes that a Mexican military force will invade Texas soon. Link to document

James Kerr to John H. Moore, August 9, 1840. First-hand account of attacks on Victoria and Linnville by Comanches over the past several days. Link to document

Felix Huston. Official report on the Battle of Plum Creek, August 12, 1840. Account of Texas Rangers' defeat of Comanches near Gonzales. Link to document

James Wilson Nichols. Account of the Battle of Plum Creek, August 12, 1840]. Written many years later. Author was a participant. Link to document

Robert Hall. Description of the Battle of Plum Creek, [August 12, 1840]. Seemingly written in 1898, when the author, a participant in the battle, was in his late 80s. Link to document

Texas. Republic. Treaty of amity, commerce, and navigation between Texas and the Netherlands, September 18, 1840. [Text is contained in a proclamation by President Sam Houston, January 4, 1842.] Link to document

Sam Houston to citizens of San Augustine, Texas, [Fall] 1940. [Excerpt.] Criticizes the administration of President Lamar with respect to finances and defense. Details. [Scroll down to the paragraph beginning, "Houston was a candidate . . . ." and to the sentence beginning, "'The approbation expressed . . . .'"] Link to document

Richard Pakenham to James Treat, [fall, 1840, perhaps October 15]. [Probably an excerpt.] British minister to Mexico gives to Treat, a diplomatic agent of the Republic of Texas, a summary of facts having to do with the agent's unsuccessful mission to Mexico to gain that nation's acceptance of Texan independence. [Scroll down to the paragraph beginning, "The Passport issued in conformity . . . ."] Link to document

David S. Kauffman. Address to the House of Representatives of the Texas Congress, November 2, 1840. [Excerpt.] On the opening day of the session the speaker notes that the voters had recently turned out of office all but seven members of the house because the previous Congress had increased national expenditures. Calls for a reversal of this policy. Link to document

Thomas G. Stubblefield to Abner L. Lipscomb, November 2, 1840. Indian agent reports to the Texan secretary of state that he has settled the Coushatta and Alabama tribes on lands granted to them by the Republic. Link to document

Mirabeau B. Lamar. Annual address to the Texas Congress, [early November], 1840. [Excerpt.] The Texan president alls on the Congress to devise a system of finance that will "relieve the pecuniary embarrassments of the country" and eventually extinguish the national debt. [Locate the paragraph beginning, "Lamar recognized the demand . . . ." then the sentence beginning, "'Amongst the various duties . . . .'"] Link to document

Viscount Palmerston and James Hamilton. Convention regarding efforts to gain Mexico's recognition of Texan independence, November 14, 1840. Palmerston was the British secretary of state for foreign affairs; Hamilton was a diplomatic agent for the Republic of Texas. [Scroll down to word "Convention."] Link to document

Texas. Republic. Treaty of Navigation and Commerce Between the Republic of Texas and Great Britain, November 13, 1840. [Text is contained in a proclamation by President Sam Houston, September 16, 1842.] Link to document

Texas. Republic. Convention between the Republic of Texas and Great Britain with respect to the latter acting as a mediator to attempt to end hostilities between Texas and Mexico, November 14, 1840. Three articles, the most important stating that Texas would pay a portion of the Mexican government's debt if peace is secured. Details about stipulations, etc. [Text is contained in a proclamation by President Sam Houston, September 16, 1842.] Link to document

Texas. Republic. Treaty Between the Republic of Texas and Great Britain for the Suppression of the African Slave Trade, November 16, 1840. Contains eighteen articles and two annexes. [Text is contained in a proclamation by President Sam Houston, September 16, 1842.] Link to document

Martin Van Buren. State of the Union Address, December 5, 1840. In it, the U.S. president reports that the commissioners marking the boundary of the U.S. with the Republic of Texas have established the line between the mouth of the Sabine River and the 32nd parallel. Will soon complete the line from there northward to the Red River. Link to document

Anson Jones. Letters, Relating to the History of Annexation. 1848. [Pamphlet.] Two letters, dated November 13 and 17, 1847, and addressed to Hamilton Stuart, editor of the GalvestonCivilian. They defend Jones' behavior with respect to activities having to do with events associated with the movement that led to the annexation of Texas to the United States. Link to document

Lorenzo de Zavala to the Congress of the Republic of Texas, January 15, 1841. Petition by the former vice presidenet ad interim of Texas for compensation for losses sustained during the Revolution as a result of the Texan army's use of his father's house as a hospital following the Battle of San Jacinto. Link to document

William G. Dryden to Mirabeau B. Lamar, March 10, 1841. [Probably an excerpt.] Lamar's confidential agent in Santa Fe writes that the Americans and Indians there plus a majority of the Mexicans will welcome the planned Texan expedition to the town. [Scroll down to the paragraph beginning, "Ever since I arrived on the 17th . . . ."] Link to document

R. C. Campbell, R. S. Thornton, M. Moreland, A. M. Hopkins, and Thomas M. League to Sam Houston, April 8, 1841. The authors report that, at a meeting of citizens in Houston a few days previous, those assembled unanimously nominated the former Texan president as their candidate for the presidency in the upcoming election. They ask that he heed their call. Link to document

Edward Hall to "Dear General" [Mirabeau B. Lamar], April 8, 1841. Author writes from New Orleans of "warm arguments" there between pro-Houston and pro-Lamar Texans then in that city. Details. Link to document

John Tyler to Joseph Eve, April 15, 1841. President Tyler appoints Eve U.S. charge d'affairs to the Republic of Texas. Link to document

Mariano Arista to Mirabeau Lamar, April 21, 1841. Mexican general commanding "the Army of the North," informs the president of Texas that he will soon lead an army into Texas to drive the Indians "beyond the bounds of civilization." Details. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document

Jose Antonio Navarro to Mirabeau B. Lamar, May 18, 1841. San Antonio resident encloses part of the correspondence that Navarro and Stephen F. Austin had through the years. Makes some very laudatory remarks about the career and character of Austin. Link to document

Mirabeau B. Lamar. Message to the people of Santa Fe, June 5, 1841. Texan president explains again why New Mexicans should welcome citizenship in the Texas Republic. Link to document

Reuben M. Potter to Mirabeau B. Lamar, June 5, 1841. The author, a customs official, discusses positively the recent appointment of Jose Antonio Navarro as a commissioner of the government of the Republic of Texas on the upcoming Santa Fe Expedition. Link to document

Daniel Webster to Joseph Eve, June 14, 1841. Instructions to the new U.S. charge d'affaires to Texas from the U.S. secretary of state regarding boundary and Indian matters plus Texas' assertion of its right to import wine from France duty free. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document

Letitia Smith to James M. Cunningham, July 10, 1841. The writer lived in Gonzales County. Most of the letter is about issues involving the settlement of an estate. The interest lies in Smith's closing remarks, which are very negative about life in Texas at that time. Recommends not coming. Link to document

Thomas Blackwell to Mirabeau B. Lamar, July 23, 1841. Clerk of the Brazoria District Court Writes to the Texan president that he has heard from one of the Texan commissioners in Santa Fe that the governor there reports that the people were ready for Texas to establish jurisdiction over them. Link to document

John W. Middleton. History of the Regulators and Moderators and the Shelby County War in 1841 and 1842, in the Republic of Texas. 1883. The author was a participant in many of the events described in the book. Link to document

Thomas Falconer. Account of the march of the Santa Fe Expedition, [1841-1842]. Written in 1843. The author, an English jurist, accompanied the expedition on its entire march. Link to document

George W. Kendall. Narrative of the Texan Santa Fe Expedition, [September-October, 1841]. Written in 1844. This extract comprises chapters 13-16. Author, an eyewitness, recounts here the capture of the two Texan forces by Mexican troops in New Mexico. Link to document

James Austin Sylvester to John S. Menefee, November 22, 1841. One Jackson County resident writes to another from Austin. Describes the town as dull and dreary. Comments favorably on retrenchment efforts by the Congress. Notes attempt to censure President Mirabeau B. Lamar for sending troops to Santa Fe. A few other details. Link to document

Joseph Eve to Robert Perkins Letcher, November 30, 1841. U.S. charge d'affaires to Texas writes from Austin to a friend in Kentucky that he likes Texas much more than he had anticipated. Writes appreciatively of the land and the people (most especially of the members of the Texas Congress). Notes negative aspects as well, including the government's financial situation and the constant danger of Indian attack.Link to document

John Tyler. State of the Union Message, December 7, 1841. In it the U.S. president notes that the work of the boundary commission is finished but understands that the meridian line from the 32nd parallel to the Red River lies somewhat east of what had been considered the case. Also states that the U.S. takes deep interest in Texas, as was settled mainly by persons from the U.S. who brought their principles of popular government with them. Link to document

Joseph Eve to John White, December 29, 1841. U.S. charge d'affaires writes to a friend in Kentucky about Texas. He is very favorably impressed with the members of the Texas Congress. Says they are seriously trying to solve the nation's financial crisis. Has heard that the Catholic Church in Mexico has given Santa Anna a million dollars to enable him to drive out or expel the "heriticks" of Texas. Has much to say about the possibility of annexing Texas, which he favors. [Contains much interesting detail.] Link to document

Miles Bennet. "Events Leading to and the Battle of Salado" [1842]. From a series of articles in the Cuero Star and Houston Post in 1898. Bennet was a participant in the battle. The material was reconstructed from his memory, that of others he knew, and probably from written sources as well. Link to document

Anson Jones to James Reily, January 26, 1842. Texan Secretary of State Jones sends the new charge d'affaires to the United States government his instructions concerning negotiating a treaty of amity, commerce, and navigation. Link to document

Sam Houston to the House of Representatives of the Texas congress, February 1, 1842. Texan president announces his veto of a bill to extend the boundary of Texas westward from the mouth of the Rio Grande to the Pacific Ocean. Explains why. Link to document

Valentine Bennet to his children, February 3, 1842. The author was a member of the Santa Fe Expedition. Was writing from prison in San Cristobal, Mexico. Link to document

Mirabeau B. Lamar to James Webb, February 23, 1842. Texan president, writing to a member of the Texas Senate, notes that an anonymous letter to a Texas newspaper suggests that Lamar be exchanged for the Texan prisoners in Mexico because of his leadership failures in the Santa Fe Expedition. Has been told that the writer is Secretary of State Anson Jones. Details. Link to document

G. W. Terrell to [Sam Houston], March 2, 1842. Texan attorney general writes to the Texan president from Austin, telling of a rumor that Mexican forces attacking San Antonio. Terrell predicts that, if true [and it was], "no one will object to the removal of the Archives from this place." Link to document

Thomas Rabb and others "to the citizens of Fayette Co. and all others whom it may concern," March 6, 1842. Written at Flores Ranch [location not given]. The authors announce that Mexican forces now occupy San Antonio and call for volunteers to join them in ousting the invaders from the town. Link to document

George S. McIntosh to Sam Houston, March 16, 1842. Writes from Paris, France, a letter introducing a man named Pelligrini who wishes to present to President Houston a scheme for introducing European immigrants into Texas. Link to document

Sam Houston to William O'Brien, March 20, 1842. President Houston, concerned about the ongoing Mexican invasion of Texas, requests that several officials of the Republic plus his private secretary join him in Houston. Also orders that the government archives, then in Austin, be brought to Houston. Link to document

James Reily to Sam Houston, March 28, 1842. Texan charge d'affaires in Washington informs President Houston that he has been successful in lobbying for the placement of U.S. troops along the Red River frontier with Texas in light of the recent Mexican incursion. Details. Reports that there are many friends of Texas in Washington; none better than President John Tyler. Link to document

Alexander Somervell to Sam Houston, March 31, 1842. The author, a Texan soldier and bureaucrat, recommends to the Texan president that Juan N. Seguin be sent to Mexico to act as a go-between with Mexican General Mariano Arista to try to end the current Mexican invasion of Texas. Suggests that this might clear Seguin of his rumored disloyalty to the Republic. Link to document

Joseph Eve to John J. Crittenden, April 3, 1842. U.S. charge d'affaires to Texas writes to a U.S. senator from Kentucky about the alacrity with which Texans have volunteered for military service in light of threats from Mexico and of the liberality of citizens in donating money to support the troops. Notes that Texans are "anxious to be annexed to the United States." Says that the character of Texans has been misrepresented in the U.S. Admits that there is some disorder along Texas' eastern boundary. [It may be necessary to scroll down to the document.] Link to document

Joseph Eve to John Tyler, January 12-April 26, 1842. U.S. charge d'affaires to Texas writes to U.S. President Tyler at the request of some leading Texans on the subject of Texas' annexation to the United States. His own thorough surveying of opinion shows that nine-tenths of the people of Texas favor it. Says Texas must soon unite with another government. Texans seem pleased with Tyler's message to the U.S. Congress. Link to document

Joseph Eve to James Franklin Ballinger, April 26, 1842. U.S. charge d'affaires to Texas, writes to a friend in Kentucky, telling of the public bragging between Texan President Houston and Mexico's President Santa Anna about what each nation was going do to the other. Details. Also, Eve predicts that Mexico will not be able to conquer Texas. Is concerned about the struggle between the pro-Houston and anti-Houston political factions in Texas.Link to document

George F. Fuller. Memoir of service in the Texas Navy, [1842-1843]. Written sometime after 1845, perhaps long after. In May of 1842, the author signed on as a midshipman on the sloop-of-war Austin, under the command of Commodore E. W. Moore. Describes encounters with Mexican ships and Moore's disputes with President Sam Houston. Link to document

K. L. Anderson to Sam Houston, May 8, 1842. A close friend of Houston's reports rumors of the Texan president's malfeasance in office. Details. Anderson and other friends of Houston's do no believe any of them. Link to document

Joseph Eve to Anson Jones, May 9, 1842. U.S. charge d'affaires in Texas complains to the Texan secretary of state about Texan depredations against Indians living in the Indian Territory. Details. Link to document

Victoria, Queen of the United Kingdom. Ratification of a convention between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Texas with respect to efforts to obtain Mexican recognition of Texan independence, May 26, 1842. Link to document

Ashbel Smith to Anson Jones, June 3, 1842. Texan charge d'affaires to both the United Kingdom and France, writes to the Texan secretary of state about the status of unratified treaties, efforts to persuade Mexico to agree to mediation of the quarrel between that country and Texas by the U.K. The Texan cause is not in favor in the U.K. at present. Link to document

Antonio Canales to Isidro Reyes. Report on the Battle of Lipantitlan, July 17, 1842. The author was commander of Mexican forces at the battle. Link to document

Jim Marthler Mieed, Hopochthli Yoholo, Tuscoomah Hargo, and Jim Boy to the Chiefs of the Caddos, July 20, 1842. The authors, several Muskogee Indians, urge the Caddos to make peace with the government of the Republic of Texas. Link to document

Texas Republic. Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation between the Republic of Texas and the United States of America, July 30, 1842. [Promulgated January 30, 1843.] Link to document

Adrian Woll. Reports on a Mexican invasion into Texas August-September, 1842. Brigadier General Woll commanded the expedition, the purpose of which was to determine if Texan forces were gathering for an invasion of northern Mexico. His troops captured San Antonio but after losing the Battle of the Salado to the Texan army, retreated into Mexico. The first report is dated, August 29; the last, October 11. Most were addressed to General Isidro Reyes, commander in chief of the Army Corps of the North. Link to document

Duff Green to John C. Calhoun, August 2, 1842. The author, a Democratic politician and newspaper publisher, writes to the South Carolina senator from London that the British foreign secretary has informed Texan charge d'affaires Ashbel Smith that the British government is making efforts to try to prevent Texan annexation to the U.S. Explanatory details, including the role of a Texan abolitionist. Link to document

Juan N. Seguin. Defense of his behavior in leaving Texas and serving in General Adrian Woll's army in 1842. [Excerpt from the preface of his Personal Memoirs, written in 1858.] The author had earlier been a Tejano leader in Texas during the Revolution and afterward. Link to document

Lewis Jones to Angeline Smith, September 17, 1842. Recounts capture of nine-year old Austin resident LaFayette Smith on January 21, 1841, by Comanches just outside the town, his subsequent purchase by Mexican traders, and his eventual freedom and delivery to Independence, Missouri. The author, a resident of that place, is writing to LaFayette's mother, recounting the story, as told to him by the boy. [The mother and child were eventually reunited.] [It may be necessary to scroll down to the document.] Link to document

John Quincy Adams. Address of John Quincy Adams, to His Constituents of the Twelfth Congressional District, at Braintree, September 17th, 1842 (1842). In this lengthy address, abolitionist Adams attacks President John Tyler for his efforts to annex Texas to the U.S. There is brief material on President Andrew Jackson's effort as well. [The relevant material begins on p. 9.] Link to document

Matthew Caldwell. Report of the immediate background of the Battle of Salado Creek, September 17, 1842. Caldwell commanded a company of Texas Rangers at the battle. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document

"Brazos." Account of the Battle of Salado Creek, [September 17, 1842]. Written in 1898 by a participant identified only by the pseudonym. Link to document

James Wilson Nichols. Account of the Battle of Salado Creek, [September 17, 1842]. Written much later. Author was a participant. Link to document

Adrian Woll to Isidro Reyes, September 20, 1842. General Woll, commanding Mexican forces at the Battle of Salado Creek, reports to the commander of the Mexican Army of the North about the battle and about the Dawson Massacre. Link to document

Adrian Woll to Isidro Reyes, September 20, 1842. Mexican general reports to the commander of the Mexican Army of the North on the occupation of San Antonio. Link to document

Rufus Perry. Account of events relating to the Dawson Massacres, [September, 1842]. Texas Ranger defends actions of Captain Jesse Billingsley. Probably written late in the nineteenth century. Link to document

James Ramsay. Account of the Mier Expedition, [1841-1842]. Author was a participant. [Scroll down to "Manuscript of the Mexican War by James Ramsay."] Link to document

Adrian Woll to Isidro Reyes, September 28, 1842. Mexican general reports to the commander of the Mexican Army of the North about rear guard actions with Texan forces after the Mexican troops had abandoned San Antonio. Link to document

Sterling Brown Hendricks. Narrative of his experiences as a member of the Sumervell Expedition, October-December, 1842. [Written sometime after the events described.] The expedition into northern Mexico was in retaliation for two Mexican raids into Texas earlier that year. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document

Sam Houston to A[lexander] Somervell, October 3, 1842. President Houston orders General Somervell to proceed with his troops southwestwaed to the Rio Grande. Gives specific orders as to how he is to act if he finds it necessary to cross the river into Mexico. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document

Joseph Eve to Sam Houston, October 7, 1842. U.S. charge d'affaires in Texas writes from Galveston about relations between the U.S. and Mexico, aid from the Yucatan government to the Texas navy, Santa Anna's role in the continuing quarrel between his country and Texas and makes unfavorable comments about the Mexican people. Link to document

Joseph Eve to John Tyler, October 11, 1842. U.S. charge d'affaires in Texas brings U.S. President Tyler up to date about the ongoing conflict between Texas and Mexico. Sides strongly with Texas. Is very critical of Mexican President Santa Anna. Link to document

John Tyler. State of the Union Message, December 6, 1842. In it, President Tyler reports on correspondence between U.S. and Mexican diplomatic ministers regarding the Mexican claim that U.S. citizens had been permitted to give aid to Texas in its ongoing conflict with Mexico. Also notes that the U.S. will continue measures to check the actions of Indians on or near the Texas boundary that might threaten persons and property in the U.S. Link to document

John Hemphill. Order No. 64, [December 19, 1842]. General Alexander Sumervell orders his troops to march to Gonzales and be disbanded, thus ending the expedition into northern Mexico. [Scroll down to Footnote 9.] Link to document

Sam Houston. Statement ordering the payment of a bill having to do with expenses having to do with a list of goods purchased by the Texan government for distribution to Indians on the frontier. December 19, 1842. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document

Sam Houston. Proclamation revoking a proclamation by Mirabeau B. Lamar, December 21, 1842. Houston states that Lamar's proclamation (February 11, 1840), abolishing duties on wine imported directly from France, was "in contravention of law and Treaty stipulations." Link to document

Sam Houston. Proclamation extending the deadline for persons of color having to leave the Republic, December 21, 1842. A law, passed February 5, 1840, required free persons of color to remove themselves from the Republic within two years of that date. Houston, noting that he has been informed that many persons of that description are "honest and industrious," exercises his executive authority to extend this deadline by two additional years. Link to document

Joseph Eve to R. P. Letcher, December 22, 1842. U.S. charge d'affaires in Texas writes to a friend in Kentucky that he has just returned to Galveston from Washington (Texas), where the Texan congress is meeting. Comments on his warm reception, various buildings in the town, the ongoing conflict between Texas and Mexico, etc. [It may be necessary to scroll down to the document.] Link to document

Anson Jones to Isaac Van Zandt, December 23, 1842. Texan Secretary of State Jones writes to the new Texan charge d'affaires to the United States government concerning the need for the two nations to cooperate in negotiating a treaty to end Indian hostilities on both sides of the international boundary. Link to document

Isaac Van Zandt to Sam Houston, December 24, 1842. Texan charge d'affaires in Washington writes to the Texan president that the opportunity for annexation "will shortly arrive." Has spoken with U.S. President Tyler, who will make the treaty when "safe to do so." Ex-President Jackson favors it. Details. Link to document

Jesus Cardenas to the Municipal President of the Town of Laredo, December 26, 1842. The author, prefect of the state of Tamaulipas, reports the surrender that day at Mier of a Texan force, following a seventeen-hour battle. Link to document

Pedro de Ampudia to Isidro Reyes, December 29, 1842. Mexican army commander at the Battle of Mier reports to the commander of the Mexican Army of the North about the battle. Link to document

Thomas J. Green. Journal of the Texian Expedition Against Mier [1842-1844]. Author was a participant in the expedition. [Published in 1845.] Link to document

Joseph D. McCutchan. Account of the Mier Expedition [January-March, 1843]. [Excerpt from author's journal.] McCutchan was a prisoner captured at Mier. He survived the "Black Bean" incident and wrote this journal account in October 1844. Link to document

Joseph D. McCutchan. Account of the execution of Ewen Cameron at Perote in 1843. [Written in 1845.] [Excerpt from author's journal.] Author was evidently an eyewitness to the event. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document

Joseph Eve to Daniel Webster, January 1, 1843. The U.S. charge d'affaires in Texas writes to the U.S. secretary of state mainly about non-Texas matters, but closes with a statement about the likely result of the "strong party feelings" among the members of the Texas Congress then in session. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document

Sam Houston to the Congress of the Republic of Texas, January 4, 1843. Texan president gives details about the attempt to have the government archives removed from Austin to Houston; defends his order to have this done. Link to document

Joseph Eve to Waddy Thompson, January 8, 1843. U.S. charge d'affaires in Texas writes to the U.S. minister to Mexico about reimbursement of funds that the latter had advanced to Santa Fe Expedition prisoners, stating that the Texas Congress should appropriate the money. Also mentions that he has heard news that Texan volunteer troops had crossed into Mexico. Link to document

Sam Houston to the House of Representatives of the Republic of Texas, January 11, 1843. President Houston comments on Jose Antonio Navarro's imprisonment in Mexico as a result of the failure of the Santa Fe Expedition. Link to document

Texas Republic. Congress. Report of the House Select Committee, January 16, 1843. Very critical of Houston's attempt to remove government archives from Austin to Houston. Link to document

Ashbel Smith to Isaac Van Zandt, January 25, 1843. Texan charge d'affaires to the United Kingdom and France writes to the Texan charge d'affaires in the United States a long letter very critical of the U.K. Subjects include refusal of the U. to join with France and the U.S. in mediating peace between Texas and Mexico, the U.K.'s desire that Texas remain independent for commercial reason, and the U.K.'s efforts to effect the abolition of slavery in Texas. Details. Link to document

Edouard de Cramayel to Anson Jones, January 28, 1843. [Text is in French.] The ad interim French charge d'affaires in Texas writes from Galveston to the Texan secretary of state, urging that England and France join in attempt to establish a peace between Texas and Mexico. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document

Andrew Jackson to A[aron] V. Brown, February 12, 1843. [Excerpt.] The former president claims, in this letter to a Tennessee congressman, that G. W. Erving, a former minister to Spain, had told him that Spain, prior to the final agreement with the United States that resulted in the Adams-Onis Treaty, had agreed that the western boundary between the two nations would be the Rio Grande. Detail. [Note: The author of the article in which the document appears refutes this claim, which was meant to bolster the "reannexation" claim being put forth in the debate over the effort to bring Texas into the Union.] Link to document

Daniel Webster to Joseph Eve, February 23, 1843. U.S. secretary of state informs U.S. charge d'affaires in Texas that he cannot honor a request for a draft on his future salary. Explains why. Link to document

William Preston Stapp. Account of the "Black Bean" incident at at Salado, Mexico, [March, 1843]. [Written in 1845.] Stapp was a participant in the Somervell Expedition who drew a white bean. Link to document

Isaac Van Zandt to Sam Houston, March 4, [1843]. Texan charge d'affaires in Washington writes to the Texan president that his (Van Zandt's) prediction, in a letter to the state department on January 25, that a treaty of annexation to the United States would soon be accomplished has proven incorrect. The U.S. Senate adopted the treaty but only after striking the fourth and fifth articles, which Van Zandt asserts is tantamount to rejecting the entire treaty. Various explanations for negative attitudes toward Texas include its lack of obedience to laws, financial inadequacies, etc. Details. Is pessimistic. Link to document

Joseph Eve to Daniel Webster, March 16, 1843. U.S. charge d'affaires in Texas explains to the U.S. secretary of state that the presentation of a draft mentioned in Webster's letter to him on February 23 had been in error and was not his fault. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document

R. H. Dunham to "Dear Mother," March 25, 1843. Texan prisoner, who has just drawn a black bean at Salado, Mexico, writes his mother of his impending execution. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document

Correspondence of several Texan survivors of the Dawson Massacre (September 18, 1842) being held in the Perote Prison in Mexico. The letters were written between March and November, 1843. They are addressed to persons in Fayette County. [Scroll down to the documents.] Link to documents

Minutes of the Indian Council at Tehuacana Creek, March 28, 1843. Texas and U.S. commissioners meet with representatives of nine tribes to discuss peace. Link to document

Fletcher Webster to Joseph Eve, April 3, 1843. Private secretary to U.S. secretary of state informs U.S. charge d'affaires in Texas that he is being dismissed because of a dispute about his presenting a draft upon the government before it was due. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document

"Mr. Thompson" to "Mr. Peyton," [April 9, 1843]. [Date supplied by the Texas State Library and Archives Commission.] [Extract.] Tells of efforts [partly successful] of foreign diplomats to persuade Mexican President Santa Anna to rescind his order to have all of the Texan prisoners at Mier executed. Link to document

Alfred Walker. Journal of a cruise in the Gulf of Mexico by the Sloop of War Austin, April 10-August 7, 1843. Walker was a midshipman on this Texas navy ship. The cruise began in New Orleans and ended in Galveston. Scroll down for document. Link to document

James W. Moore. Minutes of action of two Texas naval ships near Campeche, Yucatan, Mexico, April 30, 1843. The action of the two sailing vessels against Mexican steamships was indecisive. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document

James W. Moore. Minutes of action of two Texas naval ships near Campeche, Yucatan, Mexico, May 16, 1843. This second action of the two sailing vessels against Mexican steamships was also indecisive. Scroll down to the document. Link to document

E. W. Moore. Comments on the naval action of May 16, 1843, at Campeche, Mexico, [late May 1843]. Moore held the rank of commodore in the Texas Navy. Scroll down to document. Link to document

E. W. Moore to G. W. Hill, May 20, 1843. Commodore Moore reports to the Texan secretary of war and marine on the naval action of April 16 at Campeche, Mexico. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document

Joseph Eve to General Samuel Houston, June 8, 1843. U.S. charge d'affaires in Texas introduces his successor, General W. S. Murphy. Link to document

Ashbel Smith to Anson Jones, June 16, 1843. Texan charge d'affaires in the United Kingdom writes to Texan secretary of state of conversations with British officials about the conflict between Texas and Mexico. There is little hope of mediation by other nations. Santa Anna is totally opposed to Texan independence. There is a danger of renewal of hostilities. Details. Link to document

Anson Jones to Isaac Van Zandt, July 6, 1843. [Site notation has misdated the letter as 1842.] Texan secretary of state instructs Texan charge d'affaires in Washington, D.C., to put his efforts to obtain Texas' annexation on hold for the present, as a treaty by which Mexico recognizes Texan independence seems imminent. If so, that will facilitate Van Zandt's efforts. Link to document

Ashbel Smith to Anson Jones, July 31, 1843 [Extract]. The Texan charge d'affaires to the United Kingdom writes to the Texan secretary of state from London of a conversation he had had with Foreign Minister Lord Aberdeen about British interest in securing the abolition of slavery in Texas. Details. [Scroll down to the document Link to document

Official correspondence between Mexican officials relative to a truce with Texas. In the periodical Seminario Politico del Gobierno de Nuevo Leon, August 3, 1843. Also includes a letter from Sam Houston dated July 7. [This three-page document is in Spanish. Click on the image to enlarge.] Link to document

Duff Green to John C. Calhoun, September 2, 1843. The author, a Democratic politician and newspaper publisher, writes to the South Carolina senator from London that the anti-slavery party in Britain is losing its influence. Seems to imply that this can be useful with respect to the issue of Texan annexation to the U.S.Link to document

John Tyler. State of the Union Message, December, 1843. In it the U.S. president reports that the Mexican government expects the U.S. to annex Texas and threatens war if that occurs. Congress will not be intimidated. Says Texas "is separated from the United States by a mere geographical line," and that many believe it was until 1819 within the territory of the U.S. Tyler states how the U.S. will react if Mexico tries to reconquer Texas by force. Link to document

Virgil Maxey to John C. Calhoun, December 10, 1843. Maryland politician writes from Washington to the South Carolina senator that the treaty to annex Texas has been agreed upon but suggests that the rumored treachery of Texan President Sam Houston may prove true. If so, this may complicate the matter. Comments upon the relationship between the Texas annexation issue and the upcoming presidential election. Details. [The Texas material begins on p. 903.] Link to document

Isaac Van Zandt to John Brower, December 20, 1843. Texan charge d'affaires writes to the Texan consul in New York City, asking to what extent holders in Texas bonds there might influence the U.S. Congress to conclude a treaty of annexation between that country and Texas. Link to document